A compelling appeal for pediatricians to discuss gun safety

Paradoxically, while the total number of gun owners in American households decreased with young children from 1976 to 2016, the proportion of those families with handguns increased. This shift in gun preferences over the decades from mainly rifles to handguns coincided with an increase in the rate of firearm-related deaths among young children, researchers said on 28 March. January 2019, in pediatrics.

"Nearly 5 million children live in homes where at least one firearm is stored loaded and unlocked," said Kavita Parikh, MD, Pediatric Hospice at the National Children's Health System, and her co-authors . "This study is a powerful and compelling call to action for all pediatricians to open discussions on the possession of a firearm with all families and exchange data on the significant risks badociated with a unsecured storage.This is an even more powerful appeal to gun makers to innovate, test and design smart handguns, unusable by young children, to prevent unintentional injuries ", continue Dr. Parikh and his colleagues.

The children's commentators evoke the "extremely dangerous" combination of "curious little hands of a young child" and "loaded, easily accessible and usable handgun", and suggest to pediatricians who advise families Safely maintain customized messages and the reason for the family to own a firearm.

They also advocate protecting firearms stored at home – through free or discounted locks, storing arms separately from ammunition and using a custom technology that limits the potential for use of the weapon by children. According to a cross-sectional retrospective study by Children's researchers, younger children are more likely to be shot by accident.

"Putting in place effective gun safety controls is not only feasible, but could be the next big step towards reducing mortality, especially for the youngest. advocate for further research on "child-friendly" firearms so that families have firearms at home, the safety of their children is not compromised, "write Dr. Parikh and his co -Authors.

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In addition to Dr. Parikh, the principal author, pediatrics Co-authors of the commentary include lead author Shilpa J. Patel, MD, MPH, Emergency Medicine Specialist; and co-author Monika K. Goyal M.D., MSCE, Deputy Division Chief and Director of Research at the Division of Emergency Medicine for Children.

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